Teddy Sheringham is not entirely impressed with the signings Tottenham Hotspur have made this summer and foresees two major problems for Roberto De Zerbi.
Spurs’ summer spending has received plenty of attention, which is understandable, given the change in the club’s transfer policy in their first summer window following Daniel Levy’s exit.
Coming into the transfer window, Tottenham’s record signing stood at £65m, and that figure has been broken three times by the club over the past couple of months: on Mateus Fernandes, Sandro Tonali and Savio.
All eyes are thus on Spurs to see whether they click as a side, and some in the media have already started questioning De Zerbi and the club’s transfer business after two losses in their first two Premier League matches.
Teddy Sheringham says Roberto De Zerbi will find life difficult when he has a fully fit Tottenham squad
Teddy Sheringham believes that Spurs should be aiming much higher than a top half of the table finish, given the amount they have invested in the squad.
Given the options that De Zerbi now has at his disposal, the former Spurs striker suggested that managing the egos of the squad could prove a challenge for De Zerbi when all of his attackers get fit.
When asked if Tottenham should be aiming for a top 10 finish this season, Sheringham told DAZN: “It just shows you how far they’ve fallen over the last couple of years that we’re even mentioning the top half as a target. Straight away, I might raise my eyebrows and say that’s a bit harsh, but two games in and they look like they’re in trouble already.
“You’d almost say, ‘Alright, we’ll take the top half right this minute,’ but at a club like Tottenham, with the amount of money they’ve spent and the players they have, it shouldn’t be like that. It’ll be hard for De Zerbi, the way I see it, managing all those egos. They’re all going to expect to play when they come back from injury, and they’ve got a lot of top players there now.”
Sheringham claims Spurs squad is still short of leaders
The pundit believes that despite the club bringing 10 new first-team players through the door, there remains a leadership vacuum at N17.
He opined that Tottenham have too many players in their squad who can blow hot and cold over the course of the campaign.
Speaking about Spurs’ squad, Sheringham said: “They’re all very similar, all very ‘flitty’ players, for me. There are no real proper leaders as such; they’re all talented, but they might shine for 10 minutes and then go away for 15 before coming back for another 10.
“When you look at teams that win the Premier League, there are proper players all over the pitch, like Arsenal have got at the moment, players who don’t go missing. I think there are a lot of those types at Tottenham. You’re going to see flashes of brilliance, but you’re also going to see lots of inconsistent players, and that’s what causes you to concede goals.
“I still think if they can get that focal point, or if they can get Solanke fit so you have someone to lead the line and lead by example, it’ll help. But until you get that, you’re going to have these inconsistencies.”